Several automated computer processing functions require adjustability in the amount of throughput so that the functions can meet variable demand. One exemplary processing function is the scanning of hand-written portions of a document, for example, digitizing mailing or shipping labels. In certain applications concerning such document processing, the demand for the document processing may be unevenly distributed over time. For example, with mail or parcel processing, the volume of mail and parcels spikes in the month before Christmas, with an especially heavy spike in volume in the final week before Christmas. Thus, the demand for the digitization of mailing labels has a concomitant spike in demand during these times. In another example, digitizing the hand written portions of insurance claims has an increase in demand based on an increase in volume of claims filed on Monday, which volume may be much higher than during other days of the week.
Generally, processing of documents can involve both automated processing, such as processing by a document capture software, and possibly manual processing which deals with data elements rejected by the software. The manual processing may entail a human reading the document to determine how a field or document should be interpreted.
An uneven flow of documents or uneven demand creates an issue in resource allocation. In the example of parcel delivery, parcel delivery companies may have to hire many temporary workers during Christmas season. For insurance companies, additional resources may be needed every Monday. However, it is difficult for users to hire more workers or apply additional resources for specific times only. Therefore, the uneven flow of documents or uneven demand can lead to significant inefficiencies for such users, especially in cases when a process requires a short turnaround, for example 24 hours or less turnaround time.